Reel Talk: A Guide to Rod Mods, Hooks and Reels - Gone Fission in Fallout 76

---

This written guide was made with the support of Bethesda Softworks, a ZeniMax Media Company. Game™ content and references in this guide are based on the PC version of the game.

---

While gear doesn’t affect which fish will spawn, it does make landing them much easier.

Fishing Hooks

Hooks change how the minigame works. Some make fish bite faster, give you more chances to start reeling in, or adjust the size of the catch zone. They don’t affect what kind of fish you catch, but the right hook can make it easier to land them, especially when you’re still learning.

Reels

Reels help you bring fish in faster and stop them from escaping as easily. Higher-level reels spin quicker and give you more control, which helps a lot with harder-to-catch fish that fight back more.

Once you've unlocked the Hook and Reel plans, head to the Tinker’s Workbench and select Modify to apply them to your fishing rod—just like you would when modding a weapon or armour at other workbenches.

---

Fishing Hooks

The Fishing Hook Mods have a 20% chance to drop from the Pip-Boy Daily Quest, “Big Fish in a Small Pond.”

Standard Hook

• Learnt by default

Plan: Attractive Hook

• 4% Drop Rate

• Tradeable

• Stops dropping once learnt

Description:

• When you cast your line, the game randomly decides how many times the bobber will briefly dip underwater before a fish bites—these are called “bobs.” Normally, this number can be anywhere from 2 to 6. The Attractive Hook lowers the maximum from 6 to 5, meaning the fish will bite a little sooner on average.

• After you hook a fish, it can still escape if you don’t reel it in quickly enough. Each time the bobber dips underwater during the first part of the minigame, is a chance to press the button and start to reel the fish in. This mod adds +1 extra dip (bob) during that window, giving you more chances to react before the fish gets away.

• Especially helpful if you have slower reflexes or are dealing with lag, as it makes the bite come quicker and gives you more time to secure the catch.

Conditions:

• You do not already have the plan in your inventory

• You have not already learned the plan

• This plan will stop dropping once it has been learned

Plan: Improved Bearing

• 4% Drop Rate

• Tradeable

• Stops dropping once learnt

Description:

• Increases reel-in speed by 25%. After you’ve successfully hooked a fish, this determines how quickly the fish moves toward the center of the catch zone during the minigame.

• A faster reel-in speed makes it easier to secure the catch, especially for harder or more active fish that move around a lot during the catch window.

Conditions:

• You do not already have the plan in your inventory

• You have not already learned the plan

• This plan will stop dropping once it has been learned

Plan: Advanced Drag

• 4% Drop Rate

• Tradeable

• Stops dropping once learnt

Description:

• Reduces fish escape speed by 25% when applied to a fishing rod, helping you keep fish on the line longer.

• This Hook Mod helped me to land Axololts easier.

Conditions:

• You do not already have the plan in your inventory

• You have not already learned the plan

• This plan will stop dropping once it has been learned

Plan: Stabilized Gear Ratio

• 4% Drop Rate

• Tradeable

• Stops dropping once learnt

Description:

• Adds +25% reel rotation speed to the fishing rod when this upgrade is applied.

• Reduces reel size by 25%, making your catch window smaller and requiring more precision.

Conditions:

• You do not already have the plan in your inventory

• You have not already learned the plan

• This plan will stop dropping once it has been learned

Plan: Steady Handle

• 4% Drop Rate

• Tradeable

• Stops dropping once learnt

Description:

• Reduces reel rotation speed by 25%, making reeling slower but more controlled.

• Increases reel size by 25%, giving you a larger target area to catch fish.

Conditions:

• You do not already have the plan in your inventory

• You have not already learned the plan

• This plan will stop dropping once it has been learned

Note from Duchess

When you're just starting out with fishing, use the Steady Handle. It’s great for catching common fish and helps you get used to the mechanics—it’s much more forgiving. Once you're comfortable, switch to one of the other hooks that suit your hand-eye coordination and play style.

---

Reel Mods

Complete Lifetime Challenges to unlock these mods.

Note: You’ll need to complete the challenges on every character you want to fish with, the same way unlocking the backpack works.

Once you complete a challenge, a physical copy of the plan will be added to your inventory. If you drop or destroy it, don’t worry — you can buy another copy from The Fisherman at Fisherman’s Rest.

These backup copies only appear in the Fisherman’s inventory after you've completed the corresponding challenge, and like the originals, they are non-tradeable. If you’ve already learned the plan, it won’t appear in his inventory.

Standard Reel

• Learnt by default

Plan: Mark 1 Reel

• Non Tradeable

  Description:

• Adds +30% reel rotation speed to the fishing rod when this upgrade/mod is applied.

Conditions:

• You do not already have the plan in your inventory

• You have not already learned the plan

• You have completed the Lifetime challenge:

  • Fishing Quest I: “Common Bait for Common Fish”

    • Catch 5 Small Fish (Any Region)

    • Catch 1 Medium Fish (Any Region)

Plan: Mark 2 Reel

• Non Tradeable

Description:

• Adds +30% reel rotation speed to the fishing rod when this upgrade is applied.

• Reduces fish escape speed by 20% when this upgrade is applied.

Conditions:

• You do not already have the plan in your inventory

• You have not already learned the plan

• You have completed the Lifetime challenge:

  • Fishing Quest II: “Rare Fish are more common in the Rain”

    • Catch 5 Sawgills (Any Region)

    • Catch 1 Kanawha Piranha (Forest region)

    • Catch 1 Leatherback (Savage Divide region)

Plan: Mark 3 Reel

• Non Tradeable

Description:

• Adds +60% reel rotation speed to the fishing rod when this upgrade is applied.

• Reduces fish escape speed by 20% when this upgrade is applied.

Conditions:

• You do not already have the plan in your inventory

• You have not already learned the plan

• You have completed the Lifetime challenge:

  • Fishing Quest III: "Improved bait reels in rarer fish"

    • Catch 1 Axolotl (Any Region)

    • Catch 3 Ashen Ambushers (Ash Heap region)

    • Catch 3 Bluefin Zappers (Skyline Valley region)

Plan: Mark 4 Reel

• Non Tradeable

Description:

• Adds +60% reel rotation speed to the fishing rod when this upgrade is applied.

• Reduces fish escape speed by 40% when this upgrade is applied.

Conditions:

• You do not already have the plan in your inventory

• You have not already learned the plan

• You have completed the Lifetime challenge:

  • Fishing Quest IV: "An upgraded rod catches lunkers"

    • Catch 5 Deathjaws (Ash Heap region)

    • Catch 5 Glowing Bog Lurkers (Cranberry Bog region)

    • Catch 5 Purple Radpoles (Toxic Valley region)

Note from Duchess

Avoid using your Superb Bait until you’ve unlocked the Mark 3 or Mark 4 Reel. Catching Local Legends and some Uncommon Region Fish is extremely difficult without these upgrades on your rod.

Bobbers and Floats

These are purely cosmetic and do not affect your fishing or spawn rates in any way, shape, or form. I personally use the Nuka-Quantum bottle bobber because it’s easier to see in the water, but there are several types available, which can be unlocked through the Season 21 scoreboard or by completing lifetime challenges.

Fishing Rod Skins

Like all other weapon skins in the game, these are purely cosmetic and do not affect your fishing or spawn rates.

---

Fishing Terms Explained

Time to Hook

Also known as: Bite Delay, Bobs, and Max Bobs

• What it is:

When you cast your line, the game rolls a random number between a minimum and maximum to determine how many times the bobber will dip underwater before a fish is ready to bite. These dips are called "bobs", and they look like small, brief movements where the bobber twitches or partially submerges.

• What it does:

The number of bobs rolled (typically between 2 and 6) is just the setup. After the rolled number has occurred, the very next bob is the strike—this is when the bobber fully submerges, and you must press the interact button to start the minigame and attempt to land the fish.

• Why it matters:

• Reducing the maximum number of bobs makes the fish bite sooner on average, which speeds up the process.

• Increasing your total allowed bobs during the catch phase gives you more chances to press the button and secure the fish before it escapes.

• Fewer bobs = less reaction time.

• More bobs = safer for laggy connections or slower reflexes.

• Best Gear:

• Attractive Hook and Grilled Fish

• The Attractive Hook lowers the maximum number of bobs to 2–5 (from 2 to 6). Grilled Fish reduces the number of bobs by 1, making the fish bite sooner on average. Together, they shorten the time you have to wait before a bite.

• Worst:

N/A

Line Strength

Also known as: Fish Escape Speed

• What it is:

How quickly the fish tries to get away during the minigame.

• What it does:

Higher escape speed = less time to finish the catches

Lower escape speed = more time to succeed

• Why it matters:

Reduces pressure. Critical for slow reflexes or when fishing tough species.

• Best Gear:

Advanced Drag Hook + Mark 4 Reel

• Worst Gear:

N/A

• Alternative:

Mark 2 Reel or Mark 3 Reel

Reel In Speed

Also known as: Catch Speed

• What it is:

How quickly the fish is reeled in to the center of the radar once the minigame starts.

• What it does:

Higher catch speed = fewer successful hits needed to land the fish.

Lower catch speed = longer minigame, more chances to fail.

• Why it matters:

Speeds up fishing and reduces the risk of failure. Great for farming or tough fish.

• Best Gear:

Improved Bearing Hook

• Worst Gear:

N/A

Catch Zone

Also known as: Reel Size

• What it is:

The size of the “catch zone” on the fishing wheel (the colored area/cone).

• What it does:

Bigger zone = easier to land hits

Smaller zone = harder to land hits

• Why it matters:

Affects how hard it is to complete the minigame.

• Larger Catch Zone Gear:

Steady Handle

• Smaller Catch Zone Gear:

Stabilized Gear Ratio

Rotation Speed

Also known as: Reel Rotation Speed, Reel Speed

• What it is:

How fast the cone or catch zone spins around the circle during the minigame.

• What it does:

Faster = harder to time button presses

Slower = more forgiving timing

• Why it matters:

Controls the difficulty of each hit.

Too fast = easy to miss.

• Slow Gear:

Steady Handle

• Fast Gear:

Stabilized Gear Ratio + Mark 4 Reel

• Alternative:

Mark 2 or Mark 3 Reel

---

Hey there, I'm Kat, also known as Duchess!

I'm an Aussie data miner who creates guides for farming, events, and food buffs in Fallout 76.

I firmly believe that knowledge should be accessible to everyone, so my guides will always be free. However, maintaining a website and using photo and video editing software can be costly.

If you find my guides useful, here are a few ways you can support me:

- Share My Guides: Help your fellow vault dwellers by sharing my guides.

- Follow Me on Social Media: Keep up with my latest updates by following me on social media.

- One-Time Donation: Buy me a coffee.

- Monthly Contribution: Become a regular supporter by subscribing to my Ko-fi page.

Every bit of support helps cover the costs of creating these guides and maybe even gets me a cup of coffee or three ;)

Thanks for your support!

---